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Travelling SouthEast Asia

mars - juin 2024
  • Chris Grieve
~3 Months across SouthEast Asia, with Jods. En savoir plus
  • Chris Grieve

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  • Laos Laos
  • Japon Japon
  • Vietnam Vietnam
  • Indonésie Indonésie
  • Malaisie Malaisie
  • Cambodge Cambodge
  • Singapour Singapour
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  • 17,3kkilomètres parcourus
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  • 18empreintes
  • 88jours
  • 219photos
  • 55j’aime
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Les plus anciens en premier
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    1
    11121

    Tahkek Loop, Laos

    10–13 juin 2024, Laos ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Second batch of photos from Laos, these are all from the tahkek loop.

    Most of these are from the new camera!

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    Bear in jungle
    1Waterfall in Luang Probang51112Dark cave

    A week and half in Laos

    4–12 juin 2024, Laos ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Hello 👋 Sorry for the penguin hiatus, it's been a busy couple of weeks so have struggled to find time to write anything!

    There is a lot to fit in so will do a description here and then split photos into two posts:

    #1: Luang Probang and Vang Vieng
    #2: Tahkek Loop

    See below for descriptions of all. Will include photos of Luang Probang and Vang Vieng in this post and then post photos of Tahkek loop in a separate penguin. Some of my photos have been taken with my new sony camera that I got in Tokyo! Post #2 to follow shortly!

    After parting ways with Jodie in Japan, I headed over to Laos to meet a friend of mine who recently moved to Indonesia. Have to say it was a pretty massive culture shock going from the cleanliness and organisation of Japan to the chaos of Vientiane (capital of Laos). I wasn't a fan of Vientiane, but only stayed there one night and then headed up to a town called Luang Probang to meet Ali. This town is much nicer, it's small and is French style so there are some nice streets to explore. We visited a waterfall which was nice and swam in the water , then realised there were small fish in the water that would bite your feet! Was a strange sensation. There were also some bears in am enclosure in the jungle which was a bit of a surprise!

    We then headed down from Luang Probang to Vang Vieng where we spent three nights in a nice hotel with a rooftop pool. The town used to be a backpacker party central but has calmed down a lot as the government stepped in after too many tourist deaths one season. It is now a bit more calm. The town itself isn't very nice, feels a bit like malia or something, but the surrounding areas were really nice to explore. We went into huge caves for miles which were completely dark and had no paths or anything (we were the only ones inside and had to use head torches to see). We went swimming in blue lagoons and also did some hiking for a nice view point. On our final day in Vang Vieng we rented kayaks and went down the main river which was very scenic.

    Our final travel in Laos was on something called the Tahkek loop which is a 3 day motorbike loop through central Laos. The loop starts and ends in Tahkek. This was probably the highlight of Laos, some really scenic roads through valleys and some cool sights along the way. The roads in Laos are not very good condition in general so you need to be careful with huge potholes everywhere. There were also sections of the loop where you need to drive through around a foot of liquid mud for a while which was tricky and absolutely ruined my shoes. It was also absolutely pouring down at this point which made it even harder. Some people behind us fell off into the mud and one guy lost his phone in there... Was an experience!

    After the loop we decided to not progress into south Laos as we'd need to take malaria tablets which have some pretty bad side effects. Instead we headed to central/southern Vietnam which is where I am now. Will do a separate post on that soon.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    2A dog we saw in the animal cafe
    ShinjukuAt the digital museum1ShibuyaTokyo tower23

    Tokyo, Japan Pt.2

    31 mai–2 juin 2024, Japon ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Part 2 of Tokyo photos.

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    211

    Tokyo, Japan Pt.1

    30 mai–1 juin 2024, Japon ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Our final stop in Japan was Tokyo. Another great Japanese city, similar to Osaka but just on a much bigger scale. Everything you can think of is in the city, felt like we barely scratched the surface in the three days we were there.

    We visited Teamlab Planet (digital art exhibition), went up Tokyo Tower, went to the Shibuya crossing and walked around Shibuya, went to the bright lights of Shinjuku for a night out, explored Akihabra (famous for gaming and anime), had some amazing food, visited a hedgehog cafe, explored Asakusa and did a lot of shopping around. After the ebay camera esciapades (ask Danny), I finally got a refund and bought myself a camera in a used store in Japan for £200 less! It is rated as 'good condition' but is completely immaculate so was a great deal. Japanese standards are so high. Also got myself 2 lenses (none of these photos have been taken on new camera). Jodie got some new clothes and some gifts for upcoming birthdays.

    Jodie and I have parted again, she is going back to UK for a hen do and I am going to travel around Laos for a couple of weeks. My flight to Edinburugh is booked now, will get into edin airport on morning of the 21st. As I was leaving Tokyo, there was an earthquake alert on my phone at about 6am. Everyone on the bus had the same alert but no one seemed too bothered and I didn't feel anything. Jodie felt some small tremors and aftershocks back at the hotel.

    Have chosen a few photos from our time in Tokyo. Will do 10 in this post and then another 10 in next post

     I am in Laos now, such a contrast from the organisation and cleanliness of Japan..
    Defintiley missing Japaness culture!    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    2
    231111

    2 Nights at Lake Kawaguchiko (Fuji)

    29–31 mai 2024, Japon ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Ahort penguin today! Had a bunch of photos of Mt Fuji so uploading them all here.

    After Kyoto, we got the bullet train up to Lake Kawaguchiko where we have just spent the last 2 days.

    This town is part of the five lakes surrounding Mt Fuji which means some amazing views of the mountain. We didn't get perfect weather so it was never really completely clear of clouds but I did manage to get some nice blips. There are certain streets in the town where Fuji towers over you, was quite surreal and the pictures don't really do it justice to show how big it looked.

    The morning after we arrived I went on a long run around the lake, one of the most scenic runs I've been on. Then we did a load of walking, hit one of my highest ever step counts of 38k! The day after we hired bikes and cycled to some nearby areas, was really nice although tough up the hills! At one point we accidentally stumbled into a 2km downhill tunnel on the bikes which was actually really fun.

    Have uploaded a few of my favourite pics I got of Fuji and the lake. We are in Tokyo now! Just arrived a couple of hours ago.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    3221212

    Kyoto, Japan

    23 mai 2024, Japon ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Continued from previous post.

    Forgot to mention we also did a pottery class in Kyoto where we made mugs, then paid for them to be hardened in the oven and painted and sent to Scotland. They will arrive at Jodie's house in ~ 10 weeks.

    Too many photos of Kyoto to fit into one post but have picked some of my favourite.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    11212

    Osaka and Nara, Japan

    21–24 mai 2024, Japon ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We have been in Japan for the past week! I've been loving this country so far, such a change from the chaos of southeast Asia but so many things here that just make more sense than any other country I've been to. Everything is so well organised and clean here as well which is so nice.

    We flew into Osaka and spent a few days there in a mini apartment, went to Osaka castle which was really nice and wandered along some of the recommended neighbourhoods. Really love japanese street styles, mix of traditional and modern which I think looks really good. Also so many food options everywhere, we had Okonomiyaki and some fluffy pancakes, amongst many other new dishes. The food in general has been amazing here, although Jodie has sometimes struggled a bit as lots of things seems to contain meat or fish, even if you wouldnt expect them to. Also stumbled upon the crazy lights of the canal one night, was amazing to experience the bright lights of Japan, I'm sure we will get much more of that in Tokyo. It felt different than any country I've ever been to.

    We also did a day trip to Nara whilst in Osaka. Was cool to feed the dear and walk through the forest/park. The deer kept trying to eat the pocket of my shorts and jodie's shirt!

    After Osaka we headed to Kyoto and have been spent the last 4 days here. I'm a big fan of Kyoto, really love traditional Japanese architecture and easy access nature. Great city to walk around in. There are loads of temples to explore which has been fun, although my one complaint is how busy with tourists it is compared to Osaka. Although guess that's to be expected.

    We went to the bamboo forest which was like being in an anime. Very cool. One night, we went to a hidden jazz bar which was tucked away on the 4th floor of a building in downtown kyoto, overlooking the river. We were the only ones there besides the very suave Japanese barman who recommended some nice Japanese whiskey for me and a coffee liquor for Jodie. Was a really cool experience to watch the precision of him pouring the drink and making the ice ball. Was like a private bar just for us!

    Another day in Kyoto we decided to rent bicycles for the day and cycle around instead of walk, Kyoto is pretty flat so this was a good idea and one of my favourite days there. Was only £6 each for the whole day on the bike which is pretty good compared to the costs here (which have been significantly higher than SouthEast Asia... the budget is struggling).

    Kyoto has also been amazing for food and shopping in general (got myself another cane, we have had to queue a bit for a couple of spots but worth it for some of the best ramen and gyozas I've ever had.

    We've been fairly lucky with the weather so far although today it has started to rain heavily and the forecast isn't looking good for the next few days. We are currently on a bullet train (anorher first!) to Kawaguchiko which is a town next to Mt. Fuji. Hoping we can catch a glimpse of it but not holding out hope if the weather stays as it is.

    I will make two penguins as too many photos to fit into just one! They only let me do 10 photos now. Pictures on this one will be for Osaka and Nara, other one will be for Kyoto.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    1

    Cat Ba, Vietnam

    14–19 mai 2024, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After finishing the Ha Giang Loop, we headed back down to Hanoi (on a slightly less VIP experience) and then to the island Cat Ba which is the largest island of Halong Bay (UNESCO site).

    I had been to this island before briefly, but Jodie had her sights set on trying some deep water solo rock climbing which is something I didn't even know existed last time I was here. It is essentially climbing up cliffs that are coming out of the water, meaning you can climb without equipment and if you fall you won't injure yourself (badly) as there is water to break your fall. When you reach the top of your climb, ypu jump into the water.

    Our fist evening there we were exploring the island and happened to bump into two climbing traveller instagramers that jodie follows in a climbing shop. We took this as a sign and opted to go for this company to do our climbing experience with.

    The next day we took the morning to hire motorbikes and explore the island a bit more, visited the national park and a really big cave. Then in the afternoon we had our climbing. We (only three of us, essentially a private tour) were taken on a boat out to a nearby cliff in a mini island in Halong Bay, surrounded by loads of smaller islands and limestone cliffs. Weather was pretty much ideal, clear skies and sunny but not too boiling hot. Our guide was a crazy climber named 'Hai' who had only been a guide for a year and had been a barman before that.

    The boat drove to the bottom of the cliff (you go straight from the boat onto the cliff and then the boat drives away) and we all got straight to climbing the first route without any briefing at all! Luckily we have both done quite a bit of bouldering so knew what to do for the most part.. Hai also had a laser pointer to help us with where to go if needed.

    We would all take turns climbing. Very surreal experience climbing high without any equipment. Even though the water is there, it still is scary looking down at the cliff, and I'm not usually scared of heights. The highest I climbed was around 12 or 13m (the max height of an Olympic diving board is 10m). Jumping from this distance hurt a lot.. He told us to land like a pencil at the last minute, but after I jumped that went out the window and I forgot everything he said and landed with my hands flailing and chest tilted towards the water. Still have a bruise on my chest and the underside of my chin hurt for a few days after that.

    The climbing itself was also quite challenging, lots of times where I would struggle to find a foothold or handhold and the rocks were sharp so got lots of little cuts and grazes everywhere. After about 5 or 6 climbs each, we relaxed and swam in the ocean whilst the sun was going down. Amazing scenery everywhere.

    This day was probably the highlight of the trip so far, one of my favourite experiences.

    The following days weren't so nice as I got food poisoning not long after this, so basically was recovering and not doing much for 2 or 3 days. Tried to take the medicine I brought but it wouldn't stay down long (nothing would..), thankfully I have fully recovered now.and am eating and drinking normally.

    Next stop - Osaka 🇯🇵    En savoir plus

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  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    11213222

    Ha Giang Loop, Vietnam

    9–13 mai 2024, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We travelled from Indonesia straight over to Vietnam for the next leg of our travels. I have already been here ~5 years ago however it's all new to Jodie.

    We started in Hanoi which is the main city in the North, really cool place with lots of French colonial influence. Interesting to see very European style houses and architecture in SouthEast Asia. We spent a couple of days here and then headed north with a friend we met to do the Ha Giang Loop. The 8 hour journey to Ha Giang was luckily actually quite comfortable in our 'VIP' sleeper bus, you get your own private pod with a bed, charging station, reading light and private shutter all for £10. I have been taken motion sickness patches (all natural) which seem to be working really well. We didn't arrive to Ha Giang until 4am and then had a 8am start in the morning.

    I had already done the loop before but it was interesting to see how much more popular it had become since my last time. Way more organised tours and far less tourists actually driving their own bike, most go on the back of one of the vietnamese tour guides. I'd read online that joining on to a big group can be annoyingly slow as you need to wait for everyone to take pictures along the way. So we (me, jodie and new american friend) got a private guide to take us round the loop but I was driving with Jodie on the back. We went for the 3 day option. Last time I did it, we had no guide at all and just drove ourselves no problem, it's become trickier to do this though as it's now more popular which means more police checks for drivers without the proper international biking license (which I don't have). We ended up having to pay a £30 'fine' (bribe) between us but only had to do this once. Our guide managed to get the bribe amount down for us.

    Loop itself was amazing, just as good as I remembered. Some of the roads are a bit windy but really fun to drive! The weather on day 1 was a bit rainy (hence the luminous green power ranger jacket) but this did mean lots of low clouds rolling over the hills which added a nice atmosphere. Days 2 and 3 we had nice sunny weather and some amazing views. After each day of driving we stopped at homestays and enjoyed dinner and rice wine (called happy water by the locals) with other loopers and vietnamese guides.

    Currently we are in Cat Ba and resting as I've finally managed to catch food poisoning, but I'll make a separate post on Cat Ba and what we've been up to for the past few days.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Chris GrieveVoyageurTravelling SouthEast Asia
    1
    11117

    Nusa Lombongan/Penida

    30 avr.–6 mai 2024, Indonésie ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    After Lombok, we were deciding between going to Komodo islands or going to the Nusa islands near Bali. The 4 day Komodo island boat tour looked really nice, but it's really expensive, and we'd also have to pay for transport back to mainland bali to catch our next flight to Vietnam. So we decided to go to Nusa Lombongan for 3 nights and then Nusa Penida for another 3 nights.

    Nusa Lombongan is the smaller of the two, which was nice as it means that driving anywhere is quick. There's loads of cool spots to explore on the island and a really good variety of food options in a small area. Prices are a bit higher than mainland Bali but still relatively cheap. We went on a snorkelling tour a few days ago which was amazing, easily the best snorkeling I've ever done (although I've not done much). Saw thousands of fish and really colourful coral in crystal clear blue water. We moved spots a couple of times and ended up at Manta Point, where you can free dive and swim with the Manta Rays. We saw three or four and they were absolutely massive, way bigger than I expected. They have a wingspan of up to 7 metres which is crazy, they are like dinosaurs. I was swimming down underwater and swimming alongside them. Very majestic animals and completely harmless. Was a really good experience and makes me want to do more snorkeling and try diving!

    We also went to a temple within a huge cave in a mountain where we watched the ceremony and were then blessed by the priest which involved drinking holy water and having rice put on our head. We were the only westerners who were blessed!

    We spent the rest of our time exploring the island on our scooter, loads of amazing beaches and limestone cliffs. Some really nice sunsets too! We were staying in a very sociable hostel so was nice meeting some new people (including a 62 year old american solo travelling woman who quit her job from microsoft to travel). I can only upload 10 photos now which isn't enough to show everything but have uploaded some of the best!

    Indoensia is my favourite country so far, amazing nature from beaches to mountains, great weather (although sometimes too hot), cheap and tasty food. Only part I wasn't a fan of was the very frequent mosque chanting/signing, which is blasted on big speakers at various points of the day for 30 minutes or more at time. However this was only an issue on Lombok since that is a predominantly Muslim island, whereas Bali and surroudning islands are predominantly Hindi.

    We have watched epsidoe one of race across the world so far in Japan, looking forward to seeing what they make of Indonesia!    En savoir plus

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